The Smiley Face Murder Theory

For Halloween this year we are bringing back one of your favorites, an urban legend about a terrifying Texas child-killer… and discussing how real-life cases echo the legend. Stay up to date with changes coming to the feed on @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For Halloween this year we are bringing back one of your favorites. In 1996, a new horror movie with an innovative twist would reinvigorate the slasher genre. But behind the fictional Ghostface was an inspiration steeped in reality. A man in a makeshift mask who stalked and tormented teenage girls during a three-day murderous rampage. A man known as the Gainesville Ripper. Stay up to date with changes coming to the feed on @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode first aired on November 18, 2024. Across the U.S., college-aged men have been found dead in rivers, lakes, and ponds, and while their deaths have been ruled accidental, a team of retired detectives believes something more nefarious is going on. We’re joined by producer Chelsea Wood and co-hosts Aine Cain and Kevin Greenlee from The Murder Sheet.  Stay up to date with changes coming to the feed on @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode first aired on April 14, 2025. The sordid story of Chad and Lori Daybell hit national news in 2020: missing children, suspicious deaths, and a trail of fringe religious beliefs. We’re diving in with author and former criminal defense attorney Lori Hellis, whose book Children of Darkness and Light unpacks the twists of this case.   Stay up to date with changes coming to the feed on @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode first aired on August 19, 2024. He’s been called many names: the Boogeyman, the Thrill Vulture, the Moon Maniac, the Werewolf of Wysteria… But in life, he was known as Albert Fish and his gruesome crimes redefined the limits of human depravity.  Stay up to date with changes coming to the feed on @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode first aired on January 15, 2018. On the outside, Jane Toppan seemed like a loving nurse who cared deeply for her patients. But for years, she used her nursing skills to experiment with medicines…and kill the people who trusted her the most.  Stay up to date with changes coming to the feed on @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She dressed like a grandmother, lied about her age, and acted like a guardian angel… while secretly killing the very people she claimed to help. At her Sacramento boarding house, Dorothea Puente took in elderly, sick and disabled tenants. But once their social security checks arrived, she killed them, then spent all their money. Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard Biegenwald didn’t have a consistent method or a clear motive. He killed out of impulse—sometimes for attention, sometimes for no reason at all. His crimes were scattered, senseless, and terrifyingly casual. From luring teens to shooting strangers, Biegenwald thrived on chaos and unpredictability. With no victim profile and no emotional trigger, he’s a textbook example of a hedonistic thrill killer—driven not by anger or revenge, but by the rush of the act itself. Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeffrey Dahmer seemed quiet, even unassuming. But beneath the surface was a man consumed by violent desire. He didn’t kill out of anger—he killed to satisfy a fantasy. Every detail was deliberate, from the way he lured his victims to the way he posed their bodies. Driven by arousal, obsession, and control, he found pleasure not just in death, but in what came after. With his ritualistic methods and fixation on domination, he’s a textbook example of a hedonistic lust killer. Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Florida cop dedicated his life to fighting crime. But in his mind, the only way to truly clean up the streets, was to become a killer himself. So Manuel “Manny” Pardo killed nine people. And even in jail, he claimed his family would see him as a hero. Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices